“Actions speak louder than words.”  We’ve all heard it, but do we all really live it?  If someone has hurt you it always feels so much better when they apologize.  Apologies make you believe that the offender understands their mistake and feels badly for hurting you.  But apologies don’t always solve problems from re-occurring.

In relationships I think the saying should be “Actions speak louder than apologies.”  Some people are really into saying “I’m sorry.”  Flowers, gifts, and home-cooked meals might make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but are they really addressing the issue that hurt you in the first place?  Maybe his apology is just covering the situation with a Band-Aid.

True apologies are really tough.  They involve admitting that you have truly made a mistake and if you could travel back in time, you would have made a different decision.  You made a wrong decision.  You are sorry.  For most people getting in touch with themselves and admitting that they have made a mistake, especially when it involves hurting someone they care about, is very difficult.  If you find that your significant other is quick to apologize and make a grand gesture to prove the apology, then you really need to think about the validity of these apologies.

“Actions speak louder than apologies” means that what he says to quickly wrap-up the argument is not important.  The way that he changes his actions based on the problem that occurred is extremely important. Go back to the root of the situation and figure out what hurt you and what lit the fire.  Look at the bigger picture of your relationship to find the base of the problem.  That is where the solution lies…not in fancy dinners, gifts, and a dozen roses.  Don’t look for an apology.  Look for a change that shows that he understands what happened and why you were hurt.  If this doesn’t happen, then your fight will keep re-occurring and you will get caught in an endless pattern of arguing.

I can’t tell you whether or not his apology is sincere, but I can tell you that the way someone acts in a relationship is much more important than what he says about how he wants to act.

Image: Flickr

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Should You Accept His Apology?

Image:sxc.hu

Quilters might follow the traditional patterns exactly or develop variations from them as my daughter does. 

 You could use floral designs in: 

• Rug hooking (My husband’s grandmother made lovely hooked rugs with floral patterns.)
• Crocheting & knitting  (My mother-in-law used flowers in some of her crocheted afghans.)
• Painting & sketching (I’ve always enjoyed painting flowers, in fields and meadows, as well as in vases.  I’ve often used them in notecard designs, too.)
• Latch hooking (My cousin has made vibrant hangings with flowers enhancing them.)
• Tole work and painting on metal (Flowers greatly enhance this type of work.)
• Leatherwork (My brother-in-law and his wife often tool floral patterns into their wares.)

How do you use floral designs in your work?

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Floral Designs in Arts & Crafts

Image: sxc.hu

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Happy Mother’s Day at Blisstree

* The common name from Delphinium is Larkspur

* Delphiniums are native to the Northern Hemisphere and to the high hills of tropical Africa

* There are approximately 300 different species of Delphiniums

* Most species are toxic to animals and humans

* Delphiniums can grow to be up to four foot tall

* These plants’ blossoms range from purple and blue to yellow and white

* Delphiniums bloom in the late spring or early summer

* The name comes from the Latin word for dolphin, which alludes to the shape of the blossom.

(photo credit: Delphine Menard/cc license)

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Planting Delphiniums

Image: sxc.hu

Some ideas to consider:

• Do you want to use artificial, silk or natural flowers?
• Do wild flowers catch your attention?
• Look for flowers on sale that you might use for arrangements.
• Check with a florist and see if they have leftover flowers
• Perhaps a local florist teaches floral arranging classes or someone does in a continuing education class.
• Does your interest lie in more than bouquets in vases?  There are wreaths, hearts and other shapes.  You also can learn to make corsages and bouquets.
• Collect embellishments you can use in your floral arranging.

What tips do you have for creating art from flowers?

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The Art of Floral Arranging

Recently I viewed a demonstration by a fabric artist where she used her floral sketches for small mixed media “quilts.”  She scanned her sketches onto firm

Image: sxc.hu

fabric, treated them with gesso, and then filled in with scraps of fabric, paper (including torn pieces from a phone book), yarn, floss, and other embellishments.

Before there were too many embellishments, she did decorative stitching by machine.  You also could decorate with hand stitching, too.

How have you used flowers in your art work, whether quilting, mixed media, oil, watercolor, knitting, crochet or other media?  Share with us!

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Flowers for Spring Fabric Crafts

At least the flowers in my studio are cooperating

image: C Findlay-Harder

My hoya plant is in full bloom and smells glorious at night!  In fact, you can smell the flowers when you walk past my studio – they’re that strong.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to stop daydreaming and finishing priming the walls of my house – just a few more days until moving day!

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Wordy Wednesdays

WHAT IS JOURNEY NORTH?

A North American adventure for kids that allows them to log-in online (for free) and participate in a “Global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change.” Students K-12, chat and post about their personal nature field observations with other students across the country. Homeschoolers or unschoolers will like this project as well.

The site is kid-safe and encourages youth ro observe various natural changes in their local community as they occur throughout the year. For example, kids learn how to watch for and track things like the life and migration patterns of animals (monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, and bald eagles to name a few), newly sprouting plants, weather changes and much more.

Journey North gives students a view into local natural worlds that they might not otherwise get to learn about. For example, a kid living in New York can get a taste of Oregon wildlife and vice vs.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

Kids can head over to Journey North and register for free. Young children will need an adult helper to get them set-up because while reading is not required to participate, there is some reading involved. Then there’s an easy orientation and after, kids can join up with one or more of the many projects happening at the site.

While Journey North is not a “green” by name program, it is a great way to get kids involved with the natural world – and kids who adore their world are far more likely to preserve it.

Visit Journey North

Is you family already signed on with Journey North? If so, tell us what you think in the comments.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Green Kids Project – Journey North

Image: sxc.hu

• Cut out pictures of birds and flowers from magazines and catalogs.  Arrange them haphazardly or planned to tell a story, on poster board.  This is fun to do with youngsters in school or at home.  Perhaps they can write a poem about spring to accompany.
• Find around you in the yard, the woods (our yard is part of the surrounding woodland), or along a back road natural objects that remind you of spring and new life.  You might arrange them on a board with colored objects and even painted surfaces.
• Go through your photo stash, either a collection in a box or those saved on your computer.  Cut out various spring shapes and objects, then paste in a scrapbook or poster board.
• Use a shadow box and arrange spring items within it.  You’ll have a three dimensional effect.
• Think about a particular family tradition that takes place in spring…a trip, a walk through the woods, a hike up a mountain, the first picnic of the season.  Arrange pictures and objects reminiscent of these on a background of cloth, cardboard or wood.

What are your favorite materials for creating collages?

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Creating Collages About Spring

• Spotless refrigerator
• Unexpected thank you or apology
• A perfectly timed, hassle-free commute
• That glint in your dog’s eye when he comes running toward you
• Midnight snacks
• Hubby helping around the house without asking “Can I help?”
• A glorious fall morning
• Photo of yourself in which you look fabulous and younger than you are
• A Sunday morning with nothing going on but Vogue and an Audrey Hepburn movie
• Flowers from a loved one for no special reason

I could keep going, but I think I’ll end with: perfectly organized, up-to-date closet.

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List of Great Little Surprises.